Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Cabinet has given approval to 'PM-eBus Sewa' for augmenting city bus operations and priority has been given to cities with no structured bus service. Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said that as many as 10,000 e-Buses will be deployed in 169 cities.
"PM e-Bus Seva has been given approval. Rs 57,613 crores will be spent on this. Around 10,000 new electric buses will be provided across the country," he added.
The scheme is on Public-Private Partnership model
He further said that these buses will be deployed on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model and infrastructure will be upgraded in 181 cities under the Green Urban Mobility Initiatives. The total estimated cost of the scheme has been estimated at Rs 57,613 crore, out of which support of Rs 20,000 crore will be provided by the central government, Thakur added. The scheme will cover cities with 3 lakhs and above population. This scheme will support bus operations for 10 years.
Under this scheme, all capital cities of UTs, the Northeast Region and the Hill States will be included. The government stated that the scheme is likely to generate 45,000 to 55,000 direct jobs.
Centre's nod to multi-tracking projects of Indian Railways
Meanwhile, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday approved seven multi-tracking projects of Indian Railways. Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the estimated cost of the project is around Rs 32,500 crore. The proposed projects will help increase the existing line capacity, smoothen train operations, reduce congestion and facilitate ease of travelling and transportation.
The projects covering 35 districts in nine states -- Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal -- will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by 2,339 km.
(With inputs from agencies)
